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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rock — a stone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — music
  11. land — a country
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — to drill
  17. last — to go on
  18. season — in sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. last — finally
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com